Another incident at the Bedford Toll Plaza on New Hampshire's F.E. Everett Turnpike has left three people injured, prompting a response from state police early this morning. As reported by NBC Boston, a pickup truck struck a toll booth and an SUV, with the crash being the second at this location in less than a week, following a fatal accident that claimed a man's life last Thursday.
Traffic was snarled due to the crash, which occurred around 10:30 a.m., and the three injured parties were transported to a local hospital, although details regarding the severity of their injuries have not been shared and the New Hampshire State Police posted, "Troopers are on the scene of a crash at the Bedford toll plaza involving a pickup truck that struck a toll booth and an SUV. Three people have been transported to the hospital," adding "The investigation remains active and ongoing. Additional info will be released when appropriate," as reported by NBC Boston.
The recent spate of accidents at this toll plaza highlights ongoing safety concerns. Just days before, Scott Defreitas, a 52-year-old from Nashua, perished when his Mercedes SL 500 collided with a barrier and erupted in flames. The WCVB report notes that there have been several other crashes reported in recent months at the same location, including fatalities over the Memorial Day weekend. Comparatively, the Everett Turnpike toll plaza stands out as it lacks high-speed E-ZPass lanes and has a posted speed limit of 25 mph for drivers passing through its lanes.
The frequency of these collisions at the Bedford Toll Plaza and similar sites where tolls are collected, including on the Spaulding Turnpike and Interstate 95, has raised questions about the design and safety protocols of the New Hampshire toll system, prompting yet another round of investigations by authorities to understand the causative factors behind these incidents. In the latest crash, no high-speed lanes were involved as the poloza does not feature high-speed E-ZPass options.
